General Info & Announcements

Regalia Orders – Order online by Friday October 25th.

The CLEAR BAG POLICY is in effect for Commencement. Please follow the guidelines in the Permitted/Prohibited Items section.

Ceremony Location:

Stegeman Coliseum

Ceremony Start Time:

2:30 p.m.  Graduates and faculty should arrive by 12:45 p.m.

Guest Doors Open:

1:30 p.m.

Charles N. Davis is the Dean of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. He was appointed in 2013, after a long career in journalism.

Davis worked for 10 years as a journalist after graduating from North Georgia College, working for newspapers, magazines and a news service in Georgia and Florida before leaving full-time journalism to earn a master’s degree from the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and to earn a doctorate in mass communication from the University of Florida. He spent a total of 14 years as a faculty member at Georgia Southern University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Missouri, where he was department chair in the School of Journalism. He also served for five years as Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Davis is a co-author of several books, including “Principles of American Journalism,” an introductory text about the core values of journalism and its role in democracy. He has also written numerous book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and law reviews.

His teaching awards include the Provost’s Award for Junior Faculty Teaching in 2001 and, in 2008, both the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Teacher of the Year Award and the University of Missouri Alumni Association’s Faculty/Alumni Award.

Davis received the Distinguished Administrator Award from the American Journalism Historians Association and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications in 2016. In 2022, he received the Golden Mic Award from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. In 2025, he was honored with the Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award from the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and the Faculty Blue Key Service Award from the UGA chapter. 

Programs

Digital programs will be available to download for the Fall 2026 Graduate Commencement ceremony.

The names of fall 2026 master’s or specialist degree candidates who apply to graduate by October 1 will appear in the program. Fall 2026 doctoral candidates who apply to graduate and submit their doctoral commencement information form in GradStatus by October 16 also will appear in the program. The deadline to submit the doctoral commencement information form is October 16

If you would like to receive a printed copy of the full Fall 2026 Graduate Commencement program, please fill out this form by January 8, 2027.  Each graduate can order up to two copies.

A summary program featuring the order of events will be handed out at the ceremony.

In order to appear in the program, candidates for degrees must remove their FERPA restrictions when applying for graduation.

Photos

Photos from the Graduate Commencement ceremony are available through GradImages.

Diploma Frames and UGA Merchandise

UGA merchandise, including diploma frames, can be purchased from the University of Georgia Bookstore located next to Sanford Stadium, the Tate Student Center, and the Zell B. Miller Learning Center and through Jostens.

Appropriate academic regalia must be worn by graduates to participate in the Graduate Commencement ceremony.

Candidates should wear their tassels on the right side prior to their degree being conferred and on the left side afterward. The mortarboard on the cap should be parallel to the ground.

Program-Specific Colors

With the exception of the honors tassels, the color of tassels are indicative of the academic subject area.

The color of the velvet on the hoods worn by PhD candidates is dark blue regardless of academic subject.

The colors associated with these subject areas are as follows:

Students will be issued a printed diploma that will be mailed to the student’s provided address as well as a Certified Electronic Diploma, or CeDiploma, to their UGA email account. Both the printed diploma and CeDiploma will be issued approximately 8-10 weeks following the official graduation date. Please see the Registrar’s Office website for complete information regarding applying to graduate and diplomas.